THE GIVING UP OF PONTIUS PILATE
AND the writings having come to the city of the Romans, and having been read to
the Caesar, with not a few standing by, all were astounded, because through the
wickedness of Pilate the darkness and the earthquake had come over the whole
world. And the Caesar, filled with rage, sent soldiers, and ordered them to
bring Pilate a prisoner.
And when he was brought to the city of the Romans, the Caesar, hearing that
Pilate had arrived, sat in the temple of the gods, in the presence of all the
senate, and with all the army, and all the multitude of his power; and he
ordered Pilate to stand forward. And the Caesar says to him: Why hast thou, O
most impious, dared to do such things, having seen so great miracles in that
man? By daring to do an evil deed, thou hast destroyed the whole world.
And Pilate said: O almighty king, I am innocent of these things; but the
multitude of the Jews are violent and guilty. And the Caesar said: And who are
they? Pilate says: Herod, Archelaus, Philip, Annas and Caiaphas, and all the
multitude of the Jews. The Caesar says: For what reason didst thou follow out
their counsel? And Pilate says: Their nation is rebellious and insubmissive, not
submitting themselves to thy power. And the Caesar said: When they delivered him
to thee, thou oughtest to have made him secure, and to have sent him to me, and
not to have obeyed them in crucifying such a man, righteous as he was, and one
that did such good miracles, as thou hast said in thy report. For from such
miracles Jesus was manifestly the Christ, the King of the Jews.
And as the Caesar was thus speaking, when he named the name of Christ, all the
multitude of the gods fell down in a body, and became as dust, where the Caesar
was sitting with the senate. And the people standing beside the Caesar all began
to tremble, on account of the speaking of the word, and the fall of their gods;
and being seized with terror, they all went away, each to his own house,
wondering at what had happened. And the Caesar ordered Pilate to be kept in
security, in order that he might know the truth about Jesus.
And on the following day, the Caesar, sitting in the Capitol with all the
senate, tried again to question Pilate. And the Caesar says: Tell the truth, O
most impious, because through thy impious action which thou hast perpetrated
against Jesus, even here the doing of thy wicked deeds has been shown by the
gods having been cast down. Say, then, who is he that has been crucified;
because even his name has destroyed all the gods? Pilate said: And indeed the
records of him are true; for assuredly I myself was persuaded from his works
that he was greater than all the gods whom we worship. And the Caesar said: For
what reason, then, didst thou bring against him such audacity and such doings,
if thou wert not ignorant of him, and altogether devising mischief against my
kingdom? Pilate said: On account of the wickedness and rebellion of the lawless
and ungodly Jews, I did this.
And the Caesar, being filled with rage, held a council with all his senate and
his power, and ordered a decree to be written against the Jews as follows:--To
Licianus, the governor of the chief places of the East, greeting. The reckless
deed which has been done at the present time by the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and the cities of the Jews round about, and their wicked action, has come to my
knowledge, that they have forced Pilate to crucify a certain god named Jesus,
and on account of this great fault of theirs the world has been darkened and
dragged to destruction. Do thou then speedily, with a multitude of soldiers, go
to them there, and make them prisoners, in accordance with this decree. Be
obedient, and take action against them, and scatter them, and make them slaves
among all the nations; and having driven them out of the whole of Judaea, make
them the smallest of nations, so that it may not any longer be seen at all,
because they are full of wickedness.
And this decree having come into the region of the East, Licianus, obeying from
fear of the decree, seized all the nation of the Jews; and those that were left
in Judaea he scattered among the nations, and sold for slaves: so that it was
known to the Caesar that these things had been done by Licianus against the Jews
in the region of the East; and it pleased him.
And again the Caesar set himself to question Pilate; and he orders a captain
named Albius to cut off Pilate's head, saying: Just as he laid hands upon the
just man named Christ, in like manner also shall he fall, and not find safety.
And Pilate, going away to the place, prayed. in silence, saying: Lord, do not
destroy me along with the wicked Hebrews, because I would not have laid hands
upon Thee, except for the nation of the lawless Jews, because they were exciting
rebellion against me. But Thou knowest that I did it in ignorance. Do not then
destroy me for this my sin; but remember not evil against me, O Lord, and
against Thy servant Procla, who is standing with me in this the hour of my
death, whom Thou didst appoint to prophesy that Thou shouldest be nailed to the
cross. Do not condemn her also in my sin; but pardon us, and make us to be
numbered in the portion of Thy righteous.
And, behold, when Pilate had finished his prayer, there came a voice out of the
heaven, saying: All the generations and families of the nations shall count thee
blessed, because under thee have been fulfilled all those things said about me
by the prophets; and thou thyself shall be seen as my witness at my second
appearing, when I shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel, and those that have
not owned my name. And the prefect struck off the head of Pilate; and, behold,
an angel of the Lord received it. And his wife Procla, seeing the angel coming
and receiving his head, being filled with joy herself also, immediately gave up
the ghost, and was buried along with her husband.